Lost Files Mystery

[AcmeAnvil]

I've searched the archives and googled to **** and gone. Cannot find an answer for this mystery.

I was backing up files today and moved a few hundred jpgs to my backup drive. I selected the desktop folder they were in from a finder window and dragged it to the HD icon on the desktop. I saw the green + sign and pretty sure it gave me the wait scroll. I then moved the folder they were in to the trash.

I was moving a bunch of files around, and eventually noticed the jpegs weren't in the backup drive or the desktop folder. Good thing I didn't empty the trash . . . I'll just fish them out. But they weren't in the trash either.

Hmm. Okay, so I used the search window (magnifying glass icon in upper right) to search for the folder name. Nada. I had the exact filenames from a few photos still on my phone, and searched for all of those. Nothing. So the photos are gone as far as I can tell. I have time machine, but it backs up only when I plug in the external drive. Moving those files was the first thing I did so they were off the desktop before the time machine backup.

Here's the mystery: I didn't empty the trash or do anything else that would permanently delete the photos. I think they have to be on my machine somewhere. Right? Right?? Is there any known bug or rookie mistake that would explain this? Any experts out there who can help me save these photos? They are snapshots of my daughters so pretty high sentimental value.

I'm running Yosemite on a MacBook Air, 2015 version.

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[MacInWin]

Welcome to the forum.

Given we can't see your desktop, can you give us a bit more in the details? When you said you

I selected the desktop folder they were in from a finder window and dragged it to the HD icon on the desktop.

what was the name of the folder and what was the name of the drive icon? I ask just to be sure that you actually moved them to an external drive.

Was the external drive to which you tried to move them attached when you looked in the Trash for them? If they got deleted from that drive, the drive needs to be attached to see the Trash on that drive.

The search function with the magnifying glass, (Spotlight) is pretty weak. You may do better to get either EasyFind or Find Any File and use that to search for the images. Spotlight depends on an index of files on the drive, while EasyFind and FAF both do an actual search.

Are the photos still in the camera, or in TimeMachine or another backup?

 

[pm-r]

As Jake suggests, download Find Any File and search, they may have been moved to a folder that Spotlight doesn't normally let you search in. FAF will.

Find Any File (FAF)
Thomas Tempelmann - Find Any File





- Patrick
======

 

[Raz0rEdge]

When you drag a folder around on your built-in storage, the folder is by default moved and not copied. You have to hold the Option key down to cause a copy to happen. However, when you do the same action with any external devices, it defaults to copy.

So if you found that the source folder was no longer where it was supposed to be, you didn't actually drag it to an external device but rather to your internal storage is my guess.

 

[MacInWin]

Ashwin, I think that is most likely what happened. Which is why I asked about the name of the drive to which it was dragged. And Spotlight won't find them if that happened because they would then be at the root level of the drive. FAF and EasyFind will find them there, if they are in fact there.

 

[AcmeAnvil]

Thanks guys. Downloaded FAF and it found my lost files in nothing flat. Not much of a mystery after all but I'm very grateful for your help.

Turns out the files landed in another subfolder in my backup drive where I'd previously transferred the video files from the same phone and time period. I trashed that subfolder from the laptop desktop after backing it up on the external HD. I actually looked through that subfolder in the trash but didn't notice the lost files were in there because the icons of the jpegs looked like the .mp4 icons from the same scenarios (daughter's birthday, etc.). Yeah, I shoulda noticed the .jpg file endings, but I was freaking out. I thought spotlight would turn up the files if I entered the exact filename but as you all pointed out, it doesn't work that way. Anyway, you boys and FAF to the rescue. Thanks!

 

[IWT]

Another triumph for "Patrick's" FAF!

FAF and EasyFind are, as many know, a great deal better than Spotlight and, as Templeman points out on his website, these two "Finders" are complementary rather than mutually exclusive.

Ian

 

[MacInWin]

And a lesson to be learned: Don't delete something you think you moved until you have checked that it got there safely!

 

[pm-r]

Thanks guys. Downloaded FAF and it found my lost files in nothing flat.

Ahhh yes... FAF strikes againI see... ;D

Glad to hear it worked and located what you wanted.





- Patrick
======

 

[pm-r]

Another triumph for "Patrick's" FAF!

FAF and EasyFind are, as many know, a great deal better than Spotlight and, as Templeman points out on his website, these two "Finders" are complementary rather than mutually exclusive.

Ian

+1!!!

I couldn't agree more, both should be in one's fixit toolbox.